If you are an ardent book reader, then you definitely know that feeling that comes with flipping pages of a book and taking in the smell. It’s irreplaceable really. But for most of us, especially those who enjoy walking, hiking, biking, driving, or let’s face it, while cleaning our houses and apartments, one of our favorite things to do during these times, is to listen to audiobooks.
Anyone who enjoys listening to audiobooks, will tell you that even a good book can sometimes not survive a not so exciting audio narrator and who you chose as a narrator can sometime make or break the story.
Like book illustrators, audiobook narrators often do not receive the praise they truly deserve, although it is wonderful to see that these days you can actually search for other books read by narrators you love, just as you would do for authors, if you are using services like Libby or Hoopla.
In addition, every year the Audio Publishers Association hosts an event where they honor the best titles in audio publishing. It’s a beautifully organized gala celebration of storytelling in audio form. The 31st Annual Audie Awards Gala was held in New York City on March 2, 2026. We will include a list of the winners at the end of this article. Congratulations to all the winners!
Below are some of our favorite audiobook narrators (in no particular order):
1. Amanda Dolan
If you have listened to audiobooks like the Red Queen Series and The Kindred’s Curse Saga, then you would already be familiar with the voice of Amanda Dolan. We already loved these two book series when we read the paper versions but listening to Amanda Dolan bring them to life was nothing short of Amazing.
2. Julia Whelan
Julia Whelan’s voice is probably one of the most recognizable voices for listeners of audiobooks. Some of our favorite books narrated by her include Atmosphere, Malibu Rising, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Women and The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, as well as People We Meet on Vacation and Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry.
It’s usually a good sign when authors use and reuse a particular narrator (OK, not always) but most times it’s because they feel the narrators can convey what they write and we think Taylor Jenkins Reid, Kristin Hannah, and Emily Henry, feel this way about Julia Whelan since they use her voice for a lot of their books and it works well.
Whelan has been named a Golden Voice narrator by AudioFile Magazine. She has also had several Audie finalist placements across categories over the years, and won Audie Awards, including one for Romance narration.
3. January LaVoy
We would listen to pretty much anything read by January LaVoy. She is an amazing narrator and has recorded a good number of audiobooks including Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden, Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson, She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena, Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts, The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks, The Night Swim by Megan Goldin.
LaVoy has also won multiple Audie Awards and in February of 2026, she in addition to other narrators were inducted into the Audio Publishers Association Hall of Fame. Her work has been highlighted in articles in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.
4. Adam Lazarre-White
The first time we heard Adam Lazarre-White’s voice was when we listed to All Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby and we were completely blown away. The way he narrates this story especially the parts of the book where Titus Crown discovers items in Jeff Spearman’s house, simply amazing!
We felt the exact same way when we read King of Ashes. He truly brought Roman Carruthers’s character and Jeffersons Run to life in that book and it reminded us that when you combine a powerful story with an exceptional narrator, you get something truly remarkable
5. Will Damron
Will Damron is another narrator whose voice instantly draws us in. He has recorded over 700 titles. One thing we really like about him is the fact that his voice is versatile. We have listened to his voice in books that are from different genres and it has worked really well, which is not a very easy thing to achieve. In 2024, he won an Audie Award in the Mystery Category for Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera, and in 2025, he also won an Audie Award in the History/Biography category.
Some of our favorite books narrated by him include Some Bright Nowhere by Ann Packer, Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera, The Tenant by Freida McFadden, and Nightshade by Michael Connelly.
6. Michael Kramer
Michael Kramer has recorded hundreds of audiobooks, including several of our favorite titles by Brandon Sanderson and James Islington. Some of the books he has narrated include The Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, Oathbringer, and Rhythm of War from The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson, as well as An Echo of Things to Come and The Light of All That Falls by James Islington. He has also narrated Kiss the Girls by James Patterson and more recently, Tailored Realities by Brandon Sanderson.
We love his voice and find him to be a perfect fit for epic fantasy and complex storytelling.
7. Christine Lakin
Christine Lakin is one of our favorite female narrators. She has narrated books in the romance, thriller, and fiction genre and has voiced over 150 titles. We most especially loved her voice when we lisened to Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez, The Tenant by Freida McFadden, and Don’t Open Your Eyes by Liv Constantine.
8. Bahni Turpin
The first time we heard Bahni Turpin’s voice was when we listened to Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi. We immediately loved her voice and she absolutely nailed Gifty’s character in our opinion. Since then we have gone on to listen to some other books where she is a narrator including Children of Blood and Bone, Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, The Help by Kathryn Stockett and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, and we have loved each one.
Bahni Turpin has received numerous prestigious awards and industry recognitions for her exceptional audiobook narration. Her performances have earned both Audie Awards and multiple AudioFile Best of the Year honors across a wide range of genres.
9. Shane East
Dark fantasy lovers get in here, it’s about to get a little spicy with Shane East. Seriously, this voice should come with an age rating and maybe even a disclaimer. When it comes to telling a story with passion, Shane East is absolutely amazing.
10. Saskia Maarleveid
Saskia Maarleveid is on our list of people whose voices we love to listen to and has narrated over 700 audiobooks! She has one of those unique voices that once you hear it, you know its hers. Some of our favorite books narrated by her include The Astral Library by Kate Quinn, Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston, The Alice Network by Kate Quinn, and The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers.
There are so many other narrators we enjoy including Jim Dale, Matt Lanter, Jessie Mueller, Cassandra Campbell, Armand Schultz, Simon Vance, Anthony Palmini, Zara Hampton-Brown, and many more.
But now we would love to hear from you. Who are your favorite audiobook narrators? Is there a voice you immediately search for before choosing your next book? Let us know in the comments.
2026 Audie Awards® Winners
- Audiobook of the Year
Sunrise on the Reaping — by Suzanne Collins, narrated by Jefferson White (Scholastic Audio) - Adaptation/Original Work
The Big Fix: A Jack Bergin Mystery — full cast (Audible Originals) - Autobiography/Memoir
Matriarch — by Tina Knowles, narrated by Tina Knowles, Beyoncé, Solange, Kelly Rowland, Angie Beyincé (Penguin Random House Audio) - Best Fiction Narrator
Kristin Atherton for Outlander — Diana Gabaldon (Recorded Books) - Best Non-Fiction Narrator
Blair Underwood for Truly — Lionel Richie (HarperAudio) - Business/Personal Development
The Next Conversation — by Jefferson Fisher (Penguin Random House Audio) - Ensemble Performance
The Correspondent — multi-narrator cast (Penguin Random House Audio) - Erotica
American Queen — by Sierra Simone (Audiobrary) - Español – Spanish Language
Apocalipsis Z – El principio del fin — by Manel Loureiro, full cast (Audible Originals) - Faith-Based Fiction or Non-Fiction
Silent Horizons — by Chad Robichaux and Jack Stewart, narrated by Ray Porter (Tyndale Fiction) - Fantasy
Anima Rising — by Christopher Moore, narrated by Mary Jane Wells (HarperAudio) - Fiction
Atmosphere — by Taylor Jenkins Reid, narrated by Kristen DiMercurio, Julia Whelan, and Taylor Jenkins Reid (Penguin Random House Audio) - History/Biography
Baldwin: A Love Story — by Nicholas Boggs, narrated by Ron Butler (Macmillan Audio) - Horror
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter — by Stephen Graham Jones, narrated by Shane Ghostkeeper, Marin Ireland, and Owen Teale (Simon & Schuster Audio)
Authors
You May Also Like:
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
Red Queen Series by Victoria Aveyard Book Review
The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson Book Reviews
One & Only by Maurene Goo Book Review
Some Bright Nowhere by Ann Packer Book Review
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab Book Review
Normal People by Sally Rooney